In the 6th century, Canterbury was the main residence of King Ethelbert of Kent. In A.D. 597. Pope Gregory the Great sent a missionary team led by Saint Augustine to establish his seat, or cathedra, in Canterbury. Saint Augustine successfully became the first Archbishop of Canterbury.
With its strategic position on the road from London to Dover, Canterbury was an important Roman town. After Saint Augustine established the cathedral, it became the center of the Christian Church in England. A formal community of Benedictine monks was formed during the 10th century.
When William the Conqueror garrisoned Canterbury in 1066, he put the Normans in control. The first Norman archbishop, Lanfrac, ordered a new cathedral to be built on the ruins of the Anglo-Saxon church, using new architecture and imported stone. A new quire was built over the crypt between 1098 and 1130, and later rebuilt to make it one of the longest in England.
Between 1377 and 1405, the old church was demolished and rebuilt as the present nave. Cloister vaulting was added and the pulpit screen constructed. The tomb of the Black Prince carries a copper effigy of Edward III’s son, who died in 1376. The cathedral also contains the tombs of Henry IV and his wife, Joan of Navarre. The imposing Bell Harry Tower completed the cathedral in 1498.
In the 12th century, the church and the monarchy struggled for control of England. After King Henry II quarreled with the Archbishop, Thomas a Becket, four of his knights went to kill Becket. The archbishop was murdered kneeling at the altar inside Canterbury cathedral. When Becket was canonized in 1175, Canterbury became a major center for Christian pilgrimage.
At the site of Thomas a Becket’s shrine inside the cathedral, a Victorian illustration by an unknown artist portrays Becket’s canonization. Four years after Becket’s murder, fire devastated the cathedral. Trinity Chapel was built to house the archbishop’s tomb, and was an important religious site until it was destroyed in 1538 during Henry VIII’s dissolution of the Catholic monasteries. A lighted candle now marks the shrine.
The cathedral was damaged by the Puritans during England’s Civil War in the 17th century, and was finally repaired and refurbished by 1704. The quire lectern was added in 1663. Further damage was caused during the Second World War, and the library was rebuilt. Canterbury Cathedral is one of the longest medieval churches, with a nave measuring 188 feet.
Many of the colorful stained glass windows of Canterbury Cathedral date from the 12th and 13th centuries. The oldest window is from around 1176 A.D. and shows Adam delving, or digging with a spade. The window on the southwest transept depicts the 1,000-year-old Methuselah. The cathedral also contains Victorian and 20th century stained glass. The cathedral now has its own stained glass conservation studio, established in 1973.
The following quotation from the Bible is included in the cathedral’s publicity and on the website. “I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay their foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.”
Isaiah 54:11-12.
Canterbury Cathedral is an active place of prayer and worship, and visitors are still as welcome as those medieval pilgrims. It is used for local, regional and national services. The cathedral is open most days, but may be closed occasionally for special events. An entry fee of £8 for adults is charged and goes toward the upkeep of the property. The official website mentions exceptions. Guided tours and audio tours are available.
